Qing Madi, rising Afrobeats star and upcoming artist to watch in 2025

  • Rising Afrobeats star compares music earnings to illicit wealth

  • Single shows can earn more than a year’s salary for the average Nigerian

  • Keeps her wealth private, focusing on creative control over music

  • Believes music serves as emotional therapy in Nigeria

Rising Afrobeats sensation Qing Madi is opening up about the staggering financial rewards in the music industry. Speaking on a recent episode of the Tea With Tay podcast, the 19-year-old singer revealed that music earnings can be so lucrative, they resemble what she calls “drug money.”

Earnings That Shock

Qing Madi explained, “Music money is not normal; it is like drug money. I don’t think people know how… And I’m not the person who would buy stuff and put it on the media because I do think that that would change the narrative of what I am to the media. But I am rich.”

She highlighted the contrast with salaried work: “The average Nigerian works 9-5 and earns maybe N500,000 at the end of the month, while as an artist, you do one show and get N20 million. Music money is huge.”

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Privacy and Creative Control

Despite her wealth, Qing Madi deliberately keeps it off social media, explaining that she doesn’t want to be defined by her riches. She stressed that financial freedom allows her to maintain creative control over her music, even while commercial pressures exist.

“Sometimes I might fall victim to consumerism, because I’m like, oh, at the end of the day, they like this one, so it’s fine. But it doesn’t mean that I’m going to reduce the quality of what I make to fit what people desire,” she said.

Music as Emotional Escape

Qing Madi also reflected on the cultural importance of music in Nigeria, noting that many people turn to it as a form of therapy. “I believe the reason Nigeria loves music so much is that we don’t have therapists. It’s an escape because Nigerians are the most out-of-town people. Even if we’re sad or depressed, we don’t take a break. We just have to get work done. So, when they finally hear someone else repeating their story to them, it’s like, oh, okay,” she explained.

Through her honesty, Qing Madi not only reveals the financial reality of Afrobeats but also underscores the emotional power of music for both artists and fans in Nigeria.

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